Computer network connections over radio, rather than over metal wires or fiber optics, are becoming increasingly common. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), 802.15 Bluetooth®, and cellular phone connections are operating at ever higher data rates with stronger security and better quality of service control. Many of these systems were originally designed for use at the edge of the network but there is increasing demand that they be used for links in the middle of general networks with unrestricted topology. For example, IEEE 802.11ak is extending 802.11 Wi-Fi so that 802.11 connections can be used as transit links in the middle of a network. Such use requires protocols to assure that traffic does not loop and that traffic is routed along a reasonable path to its destination. Examples of such protocols include various versions of spanning trees, distance vectors, or link state protocols, such as, Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS), or Open Shortest Path First (OSPF).
Typically, loop prevention and routing protocols require the assignment of a “cost” to links. The cost is usually considered proportional to the reciprocal of the data rate. However, the bandwidth of wireless links is unreliable and variable compared with wired/fiber links and it typically causes transient disruption to propagate changes in link cost throughout a routing/bridging domain. Further, different networks with different uses or traffic types may require different link cost determination parameters.